Finlough Farm – The Hopsack puts its hands in the earth

For many years we in The Hopsack have been encouraging our customers and friends to get closer to the origins of their food, to ask questions about production and to use their power as consumers to make food choices that ensure the health of their families and those close to them. Â Now you may have heard that The Hopsack has for the last few years been building something in the country…

In 2000, the Murrays bought a 46 acre site outside Strokestown, County Roscommon and Jimmy went to work revitalising this neglected piece of land. Â Over the next few years he started to keep cattle, a small herd of 9 Aberdeen Angus cows, converted the land to full organic status and set to work getting the land back in order. Â He laid hedgerows, re-seeded the meadows and re-furbished the near tumble down farmhouse and its outbuildings, giving the farm a new lease of life.

In August 2008, as you most likely heard, Jimmy suddenly passed away and the farm looked set to take a nose dive. Â With nobody else around to mind the farm, the remaining Murray clan committed ourselves to keeping this amazing legacy going but with no real idea of how to do so. Â I found that I really took to farm life (or at least 1 day a week of it) and two years on we are engaging a major shift in the farm’s activities….and we want you to join in!

Every January The Hopsack receives a brace of catalogues for a fantastic range of courses staged in the Organic Centre. Â ‘GREAT!’ we say and we get really enthusiastic about learning to forage for wild foods, and make our own herbal tinctures, and we tell all our lovely customers about it. Â And when they ask where it is…..well then we get a bit bashful and mutter something about a four and a half hour drive whilst staring at our shoes….and we think ‘Wouldn’t it be just great if we could have all those courses somewhere just a little closer by with somewhere to stay on-site?’

Well that’s exactly what we want to offer. Â Finlough Farm (a mere 2 hours drive from Dublin)Â Â is branching out. This autumn we are going to give you guys the chance to get out into the wilds of Ireland and discover/develop some new skills. So register your interest now!!

Schedule of exciting events!

At the end of August (dates T.B.C.) we will host a Nature Awareness Day with Erik Van Lennep. Â This day will involve some time spent cultivating inner awareness which will open us up for our farm walk in the afternoon during which we hope to engage nature in a more meaningful way. Â This day will help us to open our eyes to the wonderful rhythm of rural life and to enjoy sharing it with each other.

At the beginning of October (2-3) we are really excited to be hosting an Introduction to Permaculture Weekend with Hannah Mole and Erik Van Lennep.  This weekend will be truly engaging for anyone interested in living with sensitivity to the earth and taking up sustainable living practices.  Some of the theory of permaculture will be de-mistified but the bulk of the weekend will see us acting out live projects on the land using these principles and developing skills that we can take home and put into practice.  You might find yourself designing and building a compost toilet or planning and preparing the site for a polytunnel.  This weekend will residential so spaces will be quite limited (12-15) and all food over the weekend will be catered for and will be organic locally sourced, with fresh baked bread and scones each morning!! Sounds nice, no?

We are also planning a Harvest Festival for Halloween Weekend! We hope this will bring together the best of local produce and producers, and we hope to get as many of you loyal Hopsackers down to share the fun (and food).

Last but not least we are finalising plans for a Yoga Weekend down on the farm!! This could be seriously cool as we could practice on the front lawn overlooking the lake. Given Mother Nature’s mood swings on the weather front we are developing a beautiful indoor space that could accomodate us if necessary.

And finally…WE NEED HELP! Â Whilst we have some of the skills in-house to develop and run this sort of thing, we by no means have the time necessary at our disposal to make it on our own. Â If you have skills in marketing, fundraising, accounting, or just about anything you feel could be relevant to what you’ve read above then please get in touch with us! If you have time to spare and feel like you want to be part of this there will be lots to do and there will be rewards in all sorts of forms for those willing to muck in with us and help to build something to enrich our community.

If you have any suggestions for skills you would like to learn or if you would like to run a workshop on our farm, or if you just want to rent the cottage for a week, drop us a line!! New email address for the farm is…. Â finloughfarm@gmail.com